OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - World leaders, survivors and Russian
liberators gathered in Poland on Thursday to mark the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. Here
is what they said:
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FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC

"Evil is embodied in this place, tearing at our hearts and burning
our consciences for eternity."

"The question we ask ourselves and of the world is how much of the
truth about the horrible experiences of that totalitarian regime we
managed to pass down to the younger generations. Much of it, I
believe, but not enough."

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POPE JOHN PAUL IN A LETTER

"This anniversary calls us to ponder once again the drama which took
place there, the final, tragic outcome of a program of hatred. In
these days we must remember the millions of persons who, through no
fault of their own, were forced to endure inhuman suffering and
extermination in the gas chambers and ovens. I bow my head before
all those who experienced this manifestation of the mysterium
iniquitatis (mystery of evil)."

"I want to say to all people around the world -- this should not
happen again. I saw the faces of the people we liberated -- they
went through hell."

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MOSHE KATSAV, ISRAELI PRESIDENT:

"The Holocaust is not only a tragedy of the Jewish people, it is a
failure of humanity as a whole. The Allies had concentrated a huge
force in the fight against the Germans and we are very grateful to
the Allies. We will carry that gratitude forever. But the allies did
not do enough to stop the Holocaust."

"We fear anti-Semitism. We fear Holocaust denial, we fear a
distorted approach by the youth of Europe. We call upon the European
Union -- do not let Nazism dwell in the imaginations of the young
generations as a ´horror show´, so to speak."

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DICK CHENEY, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT:

"This story of the camp reminds us that evil is real, must be called
its name and must be confronted."

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT:

"We unfortunately still see signs of anti-Semitism and I´m also
ashamed of that. Russia will struggle against them."

"We shall not only remember the past but also be aware of all the
threats of the modern world. Terrorism is among them and it is no
less dangerous and cunning than fascism. And it is equally cruel: it
has already claimed thousands of lives."

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VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, WHOSE FATHER WAS IMPRISONED
AT AUSCHWITZ AND SURVIVED:

"My father was a wounded soldier and he was in Auschwitz. He had a
tattoo 11367 on his chest. I came here with my children and I hope I
will come here with my grandchildren. This is a sacred place for me
and my family."

"There will never again be a Jewish question in my country. The
tragedy of the past will never be repeated on the soil of Ukraine."

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ELIE WIESEL, NAZI HUNTER AND AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR:

"I don´t believe in collective guilt, but the guilty should be
remembered for their guilt. How can you go away with the knowledge
you gathered here and remain the same? If you will be the same after
this, we will be lost."

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AVNER SHALEV, CHAIRMAN OF ISRAEL´S YAD VASHEM HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL:

"This ceremony is needed now because a new wave of anti-Semitism is
becoming more and more dangerous to Jews and to democracy and to
democratic society."

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KAZIMIERZ ORLOWSKI, 84-YEAR-OLD FORMER PRISONER:

"The snow was falling like today, we were dressed in stripes and
some of us had bare feet. These were horrible times."

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SIMONE WEIL, FRENCH INTELLECUTAL AND CAMP SURVIVOR

"And yet, the desire of all of us that this ´should never happen
again´ has not come true. There have since occured other cases of
genocide."

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JAN TOPOLEWSKI, A SURVIVOR WHOSE MOTHER PERSIHED IN THE CAMP

"I´m not here to talk about what happened. My only aim is to light a
candle for my mother whose ashes are who knows where in this camp."

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GERMAN PRESIDENT HORST KOEHLER "This is the biggest cemetery for
Jews, Poles, Roma and Sinti. It must tell us that we have to come
back here again and again. We must keep the memory of the worst
crime in human history alive for those who were born later."